System of automatic block-signaling for electric railways.



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W A l M DD mA. w SD n.. `N ll NE svvsrfm ,of Aurora/n c BLOCK slG'NALmG Fon eLs'crmc nAi'LwAvs.'

' Patented Apr.4 4, i916.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.'

' ATTOR Ev www2.

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F. mwN'sEND, DECD., 15]. TOW NSEND, ADMINISTRATOR. SYSTEM 0F AUTOMATIC BLOCK SIGNALING FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

-4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented A111211, 1916.

APPLICATION FILED I'IIAR- 5. |906'.

WITNISSES. I

1,178,1 92. Patented Apr 4, 1916.

FI G3.

WITNESSES: i y o0 wma A @q ATTORNEY @L04 Q INVENTOR F. TOW-NSEND, DECD..

. 1. 1. vTownslsrm-` rDramma/Torn SYSTEM OF lAUTOMATIC BLOCK SIGNALING FOR ELECTRIC RMLWAYS.

' APPLlc/moN-HLED mm. 5.1906.

' Patented Apr. '4, 1916.

4'SHEETS--SHEETl 4.

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@4 ak rNvENToR l/MM ATTORNEY liiiariiri) srairiis ifi"i'iIJN'l OFFICE rrrz'r'riien 'r'oWNsnNn or NEW YORK, N. .YJ/Jenna.. 'rownsnnnnmvimis'rnarron or sain FITZHUGH TowNsnNn, nncnasnn, Assieivoa To GENERQL RAILWAY ,SIGNAL COMPANY, A Conroniicrroiv or NEW YORK. Y

SYSTEM or AUTOMATIC",isLorcK-SIGNALING,son Erncrnidmiiiwafysjf -fi To all 'whom it may concern:

' the power current.

'fis

l Be it known that I, Fi'rzHUGri Towr'isnND,

a citizen'of the Unitedl States, residing'at New Yorkcity, county, and State of New York, have invented a System of Automatic -Bloclr-Signaling for Electric Railways, of 'n ich the followingis a. specification.

` My invention relates to improvements in block signaling 4systems fo'f thetypesused on electric railways in which one or both of the' traffic rails are employed as a returnltor In a system of this character it is desirable to tie together electrically, Aor cross-bond, the rails ofthe several track-ways, in order that the current from motor vehicle may readily distribute litself among all of the conducting tracks.

Incarryingout'this idea, itis also desirable ,that a break or electrical interruption in any track 'rail shall cause thesignal to go to i' the danger position, so as top'revent a train from becoming derailed.

It is the purpose of my. invention to fac'- `coinplishboth rof thel results" described;

namely, j cross-bonding between (tracks, and protectionaga-inst a broken rail.

, The accompanying diagrams illustrate modifications of my. invention.l In all of ,themthe type of block signalingI system and standing being that in thecaseof the three f remaining trackways, these devices would be reproduced; Cross-bonding is secured by electrically connecting, one'vrail of each trackway with all the' other corresponding `rails.. Protectionagainst a bro-ken rail is secured by means of protective reactances ,andtractionrelays normally actuated by the drop across such reactances so as to maintain the lsignaling circuit normally closed, but to allow it to be opened in the case of a broken rail. .An alternating current of 'a l different characteristic from v either the fsa powerfcurrentA or the block signaling current isl transmitted through all ofv tlieutraffic -f rails. in parallel, with each other in order a iioimallyto energize the. protective'devices,

' .closing the contact of all the protective re- Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Application file d March 5.` 1906. Serial No. 304,373.

ratentedfapr;551.1916.

,l lays in the .absence ofafbroken rail. "Fig 2, shows a modification lin which resistances similar to an ammeterashunt are. inserted in the trackway. Across each resistance is connected a protective relay, adapted to open when there is a break inatraiiickrail. A direct current is continuously sentfthrougli the trackway for the. purpose of energizing the protective devicesbyf producing. drop, o r difference of potential, across 'y the resistancesjust mentioned.` shows a modification which1 a' selective. delay, responsive only to the signaling current, normally actuated by the dilterence of potential o r drop across the protective `-reactance is employed. The protective devices are operated by current :from: vthev tracktransformer whichv normally*l energizes f the block section inthe operationpf systemsof this type. The same is trueof Onlyone trackway is shown. `One rail of tliistrackis electrically connectedttoa conductor, which diagraininatically indicates rv`the rest.y of the track return or. sucli lzpart" of it as lthe cross bonded track rail would; properly besonnectedto. Fig. 4, shows a modication in hich a yselective `lrelay;responsive only to l Lne signaling current,r is employed -to indicate a broken rail: The relay isx'connected across the protectivefractancewhich is' inserted directly in tlie-..cross-bond`. .'Fig. 5

lshows a modification 'ofthe method shown in Figs. l, 2 and 3,.forsinterfconn'ecting the tratlic rails of a fountrack railway. #In this diagram the signal .controlling devices, together with the signalsyare omitted, v

Considering my 'inventionpinfdetaih the llowing features are ycommon 5to-.Figs l l i: Th'e power generator-"A is fconnected to the 'trolley or feeder conductorffl, "and 'to the tralc rails ,f2/and Bjthrough the conductor 4, and a rea'ctan'cefb'ondfB. The

.motorvvehicle C is operated from conductor l, the signaling. generator LD 'is connected tov the yconductors '5 and .6 and'tln-ough transformers E and conductors 7 and 8 supply signaling current-to thefrails 2 and, 3 of each block sectionai signaling cur"- rent, maintains a dilterenceofv potentiall between the .traiiic rails 2 and Sand controls .the position of Lhe signal-*F bygmeans of relay devices. iese' signals* `arew*normally rent from battery G,fwhichgcurrent flows maintained iLi the elearpositionuby the curthrough the local signaling line 9, energiz ing the solenoid H, and holding the signal in the clear position by attracting the counter-weight core J. The cross-bonding conductors 10 and 11` connect .the traffic rails 2 and 3 to other portions of the track return. An accidental'lneak in the traffic rail is denoted by O, and X, Y, Z represent three block sections. In Figs. 1 and 2, the traffic rails 2 are connected by cross conductor 10 and the traffic rails 3 by a cross conductor 11 and bonds B. Interposed between cross conductor 11 and rail 2 are reactances 1Q on open core 13, (Fig. l). Beactance coils 12, wound upon cores 13, are connected to the adjacent ends of the sections of traffic rail 2. an intermediate' point between said coils being also connected to an intermediate point between the adjacent bonds B. 1l is a relay, which I term the break relay, having one terminal of its coil connected to one terminal of the coil 12, and its other terminal connected to the terminal of the secondary coil 15. which coil 15 has its other terminal tapped on to some point of the coil 12. The armature 16 of the relav 1l, is connected to a contact 17. in the path of movement of the arm 18 of the signal relay 19. It will be observed that under normal conditions. aS indicated in blocks Y and Z. the path of the local'signaling current from battery G includes the armatures 16 of the two relays ll, the arm 1S of the relay 19 and the contactl?. The signal relay shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is of the polvphase type. One c'oil. QO of the stator of this relay is connectednacross the traffic rails 2. 3, and is normally energized .by the track circuit current which is supplied to the block section from the track transformer E the terminal 7, being connected to rail 2, through conductor 11 and coils 1'2. The other coil, Q1, of the relay 19, is energized from conductors 5 and 6 and by means of phase control 22 provision is made for the adjustment of phase displacement between the currents carried by coils 2O and 21. K, Fig. 1 and L, Fig. 2, are respectively an alternating and a direct current generator, one terminal of which is connected to the conductor 23, which 4runs to the end of the line where it is connected to the track return. -T he other terminal of the generator K is connected by means of conductor 21'. conductor 4 and bonds B to the rails 2, 3. at the generator end of the line.

tween the traffic rails of each'block, flowing up one rail and down the other. The gen crater K` on the Vother hand, sends a current through the entire track return, passing from one block to the next, this current flowing, through all of the traffic rails in the same direction. Its' value in any traffic rail, is, therefore, .the same,` independent-ly of the position of the motor vehicles, and this current will only change in value in any portion of the traffic rails provided there is an electrical break or a discontinuity in any of such traffic rails. In other words, the generator K supplies current for indicating a broken rail, while the track circuit current from generator D is used to indicate the presence or absence of the motor vehicles in the several block sections. The track relays 19 are only responsive to the difference of potential between the traffic rails due to the signaling current, while the protective relays 1l are responsive to the current sup plied by the generator K. independently of the difference of potential between the traffic rails. In an electric railway there are fre quently timeswhen in some portion of the track return there is an absence of propulsion current. It is under these conditionsthat the current from generator K is necessary to energize the relays 11 so as not to open the signaling line 9 and give a wrong danger signal. It will be seen that owing to the method of connections of the relay 14, a portion (which may be any portion) of the drop due to the propulsion current flow- 100 ing through the coil 12, will be developed across said relay, thus energizing it provided the value of the propulsion current required for this purpose has been reached. The point at which the secondary 15 iS com 105 nected to the winding 12 should be chosen in such a way that when the propulsion current begins to saturate the core 13 .and consequently obliterates the react-ance of the coil 1Q, the ohlnic drop due to the propulsion 110 current shall be sufficient to energize the relay 14. It will be understood, of course, that the relay 1l is of a type which can be energized by direct or alternating currents, separately or together. The protective re- 315 lays 11 indicate the condition of the rail 2. If a break were to occur in the rail 3. however. in any block section,v this would be indicated by t-he opening of the contact 117 of the track relay 19.

In Fig'. Q a direct current generator L takes the place of alternating generator K in Fig. 1. Resistance 33 is substituted for reactance 12. In other respects the figures are the saine. It will be seen that the dif- 125 ference l mween Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is that in Fig. 2 the protective devices are energized b v the drop due to a direct current passing through resistance 33. This, D. C. drop is sufficient to energize the relay 14. in the ab- 13C return the power supplied by the generator sence of ay break in the traffic rail, 2. 'Owing to the lower ohmic resistance of thetrack- L need not bevery great inorder to produce. the requisite number of D. `C. am-

peres. f

In Figa?) only the power generator Ay and the si'gnaling. generator D are present. The protective devices are normally energized by the track circuit current from the gen-v erator D. lA selective break relay 34, is

employed to indicate a discontinuity inthe rail 2'.- This relay is of any wellv known selective type, having one coil 25 connected acrossa reactance 26, the other coil 27 of the relay being supplied with current from 'the generator D through `the transformer P. This relay is 'responsive only to the The signaling relay employedhere may be, of

signaling current. yThe `coil 26 should be made of a'type now well known in which the reactance is unaligected by the passage of the full power current through the coil.

A course, of any type, but it is'sho'wn as a selective relay 30, cfa' similartype to the break relay 34( Thev cross-bonds 10 connect Ithetiaiiic rail 2 to the conductor 28,Figs 3 and 4. rI his conductor 28 ,may,be other trai.

fici rails =similartorail 2,or indeed agroundl connection, or any auxiliary return conductor or conductors.

Y In Fig. Il, the protective reactances 26" are inserted directly inthe path of the cross-- bonds 10. The relay 34; #closesi the circuit of the battery 1G* by. means, of'a back contact 29. Y ,Thisisibecause when allof the traffic rails-` are perfect, they will each have approximately the same conductivity, vso that .the cross bonds`10 will carry little or no signaling current.- y.The relay 34 will, therefore,

, be denergized normally so as to avoid breakingthe circuit of the local signaling line 91 W'hen a break in the tralic rail 2 occurs, as at the point O, however, the signaling current will flow through the crossbonds 10, producing a drop in potential across the reactance :26, thereby energizing the relay 34 andl opening the contact 29, so as to send the signal F- to the danger position.

In Fig. 5, the diagram illustrates an arrangement of cross bonding which 'may be employed in kan electric railway ofv many parallel tracks where the signals in the varions tracks do not come opposite each othen l.The'cross bonds 1 0 andthe reactance bonds to the particular ,arrangement of cross bonds shown in these diagrams. 'rEurthern-iore, a

protective device may 'be arranged- 4inconnection with achof the traicrails-instead' of only one, if 'desi-red,- and, vfari4 us other modifications may be Smade. I

I have described andfshownmy invention as applicabley to anelectric signaling system .where the propulsion current fr-operatingl motor vehicles isl av direct; current.'

Manifestly, it may be employed vin a sytsem where the propulsioncurrent is an altervnating current and without. requiring.l any chan-ges other than will bewithin the comprehension of signalingv engineers.. `Thus I may vary the means -loy which the current,..

'which normally actuates-the lbreak. 1elays, 1s f.edto the trackwaygf The character vof said relays, as also the means byreason of which two signaling .currents are differenltiated lbetween the break andsignaling rea'ys 12C: n"A The drawings in this,-applicatiom-loeing simply diagrams,l arermerely .intended to show several arrangements by which my inventions may befcavrriedfinto eiect and are not,J intended to describe ,all of the arrangementswhich I havey conceived, for the purpose; I

.Having thus ..descr-ibed invention, I

`claim:`

, y l. .In a signaling systemof the type de-'i scribed, means for impressing-signaling curreni;v upon. the rails,- meansfor indicating a' i break int the4 coiitinuity;ot` the rails,` said means comprising a, 1.-current .differing in I character from the vsignalingl current imvpressed upon the rails, relaygdeyice normally actuated by said current andjsignal-ing devices-un'der-'the control' oisa'id" relay devices.l

' 2.1 In a signaling system of they typedescribed, the combination of a source of propulsion current, a source of signaling current, a second source ofsignaling current,` said lsignal currents having different characteristic's, together with a translating device subject to the separate control of ,both said signaling currents, and a signal controlledv by said translating device.

3. In a signaling system, a sectional trackway which serves as a return for the propulsion current, a signaling current impressed upon eacli section of the said trackway and adapted to create a dii'erence of potential between the rails thereof, a second signaling current impressed upon the whole trackway and adapted to produce a difference of potential between the ends of they trackway, and signaling devices under the control of both currents. i f

-LIn a signaling system of' the type described, a trackway, block sectionsdnto which the trackway is divided, meansA for generating current for operating motor vehicles on the railway, means for generating a current differing in character to set up a ditierence 0f potential betiveen the rails of the respective block sections of said trackway and means for creating a diiterence. ot potential between the ends of the tackuay, relays under the influence of said signaling current, relays controlled by the said other difference of potential, signals controlled by said relays, together with means for preventing the propulsion current from iniiuencing said relays.

5. In a signaling system ot' the type described, the combination of means for connecting parallel lines ot' trackivay to act as return paths for the propulsion current, said trackway divided into block sections, means to indicate the occupancy or non-oc cupancy of a block section and translating devices responsive to a break in such rails.

6. In a signaling system, the combination of a trackuay divided into sections, cross bonding conductors between the tracks, signals indicating the location of the vehicles and the continuity of the trackrails, and two sources of signaling' current supplying currents of different characteristics to control such signals.

7. In a signaling system .of the type `described means for generating three currents of different characteristics, conductors for transmitting said currents, motor vehicles actuated by one of said currents, signaling devices indicative of the occupancy of the block sections of the trackway by motor vehicles operated by the second of said currents, and a translating device responsive to the condition ot the trackway as regards continuity operated by the third of said currents.

S. In a railway signaling system; a plurality of trackivays divided into block-see tions; means cope 'ating with the rails to form a track circuit in each block Section; translating devices one controlled by each track circuit; signaling devices one controlled by each translating device; conductors connecting one rail of each block section of oneA trackway with the corresponding rail of the corresponding block section ot' every other trackway; reactancc coils, one connected to each end of the other rail of each of the block sections; conductors1 one joining the two coils of every pairr of adjacentreactance coils; conductors each connecting together all ot' the corresponding last mentioned conductors of the several tracks; a car; a source of propulsion current, one terminal ot' the source being connectcd through a reactance bond to each rail of e-ach tackivay; means connected to the other terminal for conveying current to the car upon its trackway.

9. In an electric railway signalingv system, in which the running rails are used as part of the return for the propulsion cui'- rent7 the combination of a supplementary return conductor for thepropulsion current, a plurality ot' track circuits, two or more inductive cross bonds for each track circuit, nieans,t'or electrically connecting any two adjacent cross bonds to each other, and means for electrically connecting any such pair of cross bonds or any single cross bond to the supplementary return conductor.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in the presence of tivo Witnesses.

FITZHUGH TOVXSEXD.

IVitnesses FRANK OCoNNoR, C. DoUGLAss GREEN. 

